Independent Film Says Black Airwaves Losing Ground

"Disappearing Voices--The Decline of Black Radio," a film about the decline of blacks in broadcasting, warns that black radio's impact has been severely diminished. The film also covers the history of black radio. The film documents that the first Black-Owned Radio station was WERD in Atlanta in 1949. This was followed in the 1970's with purchases by Kathy Hughes in Washington, DC and Mutter Evans in Winston-Salem, NC. Radio One, developed by Ms. Hughes son Alfred Liggins, now dominates black radio.

Of the 12,000 radio stations today, only about 168 are black-owned. (David Hinckley, Daily News, 6/18/08) (Progressive Pulse Blog)